used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
anew
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The odds were somewhat against us, but not so much as I feared.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The odds were somewhat against us, but not so much as I feared.
asternadverb
stern foremost or backward
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading There were but the two oars in the boat.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There were but the two oars in the boat.
Carette's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
dearly loved
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading The odds were somewhat against us, but not so much as I feared.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
HOW
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
jerksnounUS /dʒɜːrks/
plural of “jerk” — a dull stupid fatuous person
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
leapsnounUS /liːps/
plural of “leap” — a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The odds were somewhat against us, but not so much as I feared.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
oarsnounUS /ɔːrz/
plural of “oar” — an implement used to propel or steer a boat
From this reading There were but the two oars in the boat.
oddsnounUS /ɑːdz/
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading The odds were somewhat against us, but not so much as I feared.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
on one occasion
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
pullingnounUS /ˈpʊlɪŋ/
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
rowlocknoun
a holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
cut with a saw
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
slidingadjectiveUS /ˈslaɪdɪŋ/
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading The odds were somewhat against us, but not so much as I feared.
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading I bade her hand me hers, and she did it instantly, sliding it along to my rowlock and losing but a single stroke.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were but the two oars in the boat.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There were but the two oars in the boat.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The odds were somewhat against us, but not so much as I feared.
venomousadjectiveUS /ˈvenəməs/
extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
viciousadjectiveUS /ˈvɪʃəs/
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading HOW I HELD THE NARROW WAY And so, once again I was pulling for dear life, and now indeed for more than life, with death, and more than death, coming on astern in venomous jerks and vicious leaps.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Carette's soft hands were not equal to work of this kind, and she saw it.
